Lesley Vainikolo
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Lesley Paea 'I'muli Vainikolo (born 4 May 1979) is a former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. A dual code international, he has played for the New Zealand Kiwis in rugby league and England in rugby union.
He began his career playing rugby league in Australia for the Canberra Raiders of the National Rugby League and later in England for the Bradford Bulls of Super League. He then moved to English rugby union club Gloucester. In both codes, he has usually played as a wing.
Early life and career
Vainikolo was born on 4 May 1979 in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. He grew up in West Auckland, New Zealand playing rugby union but switched to rugby league as he explains, "I first got into rugby league when I was 11. One of my mates got me into it. His team were short on numbers and my mate asked if I wanted to play. I grew up playing union, so I had the basic skills. I played the game and absolutely loved it. And I've been hooked since." Vainikolo played for the Mangere East Hawks in the Auckland Rugby League competition. He represented Auckland in the 1997 Super League Challenge Cup. He represented the Junior Kiwis in 1998.[3]
Vainkolo attended
Rugby league
Canberra Raiders
Vainikolo had two big league heroes when he was younger –
Bradford Bulls
Vainikolo made his début in the
Having won
Again in 2005, his season was disrupted with injury, although he still managed to score 34 tries in 23 appearances. During the 2005 rugby league season his contract was due to expire at the end of the season and Vainikolo received what he says was "a very big offer"
On 15 May 2007, it was confirmed by Bradford Bulls that he was to leave the club and join rugby union side Gloucester.[7] Vainikolo spoke about his move saying: "First and foremost I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone connected with Bradford Bulls – including my team-mates, the staff and all the supporters – for making the last five years so memorable. "Bradford is my home and I know I'll be back. I'm determined to go out on a high and want to contribute as much as possible over the next six weeks before I make the switch." His last match at Odsal was on 17 June 2007 against Hull FC, a 34–8 win. Hooker Terry Newton took the limelight with four tries but Vainikolo was allowed a parting shot when he was given the chance to convert a last minute try from regular goal-kicker Paul Deacon; the first shot of his career and his only two-point score for Bradford Bulls. Vainikolo's last match in the Super League was against the Bulls' rivals the Leeds Rhinos at Headingley on 29 June 2007, he scored the opening try in a 38–14 win for the Bulls, leaving his Bradford Bulls career statistics at 152 games, 149 tries and 1 goal. In August 2007, he was named in Bradford's Team of the Century.
International rugby league career
Vainikolo made his first international appearance for the New Zealand in 1998. He has scored fourteen tries in twelve appearances for his nation, including nine tries in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.
He was ruled out of both the 2005 and 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations series through injury. He has had major surgery on his knees over recent years.[8][9][10][11]
Rugby union
Gloucester Rugby
In 2007, Vainikolo signed a three-year deal with rugby union Premiership side Gloucester who finished top of the
Vainikolo scored five tries on his début for Gloucester against Leeds Carnegie on 16 September 2007. He finished the 07-08 Season joint 4th top try scorer with Worcester wing Miles Benjamin with a total of 9 tries.
France
Vainikolo joined the French side La Rochelle on a two-and-a-half-year deal after leaving Gloucester Rugby at the end of the 2011/2012 season.[12] As of 2013, Vainikolo left
Barbarians
Vainikolo was selected for the Barbarians squad and played 2 matches, against a Belgium XV in Brussels, when he scored a try, and against Ireland at Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester.
International rugby union career
While still playing rugby league, Vainikolo played rugby sevens for Tonga at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.[15]
As a union player, Vainikolo was eligible to play for Tonga by birth, New Zealand by parentage or England by residence. He applied for a British passport and was included in the English squad for the Six Nations Championships in 2008.[16][17]
He made his début for England against Wales on 2 February 2008,[18] while his second appearance came for England against Italy in Rome on 10 February 2008. He also played against France, also in the Six Nations on 23 February 2008, Scotland on 8 March 2008 and Ireland on 15 March 2008. In total he played five test matches and did not score a try.
He was dropped by Rob Andrew for the England tour of New Zealand, and was left out of Martin Johnson's Elite Squad for 2008–2009.
Assault charge
In 2009 Vainikolo was found not guilty after being accused of grievous bodily harm. On 18 December 2008 he was arrested and charged after being accused of assaulting a man in a fight outside a nightclub in Bath.
A spokesman for the Gloucester said Vainikolo had not been suspended and there was "no reason" for the star to miss the next match. The statement also said "Lesley vigorously contests this allegation and, as demonstrated this season, remains completely focused on his rugby and will not allow this matter to distract him".[19] He appeared before the Magistrates Court on 2 January 2009,[20] where he was found not guilty.
Match Fit
In 2022, he was in the Kiwis alumni team in the season 2 finale of Match Fit as a member of the multi-sport team.[21] In 2023, Vanikolo participated in season 3 of Match Fit, where former rugby players return to play against the Australian counterparts. He joined in the first season that featured former rugby league stars.[22] He revealed that he lost his brother from heart attack. His father also suffered from diabetes and asthma, while his mother died 2 years ago from complications of diabetes. His wife is Sienna and he has a 14 year old son, Kava. He also revealed that Sienna is battling cancer,[23] but she recovered 2 months later.[24] In episode 3: He scored a hat-trick against Ex-All Blacks and Sevens in Beach Rugby game.
Notes and references
- ^ VAINIKOLO, LESLEY PAEA 'I'MULI 1998 – 2000, 2004, 2006 – KIWI #676 Archived 23 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine nzleague.co.nz
- ^ "Aviva Premiership Rugby – Gloucester Rugby". web page. Premier Rugby. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1998. p.181
- ^ a b "Bradford's Volcano talks rugby league!". BBC Sport. 12 February 2004. Retrieved 24 June 2006.
- ^ The Times, 1 May 2007
- ^ a b "Bradford boost as Vainikolo stays". BBC Sport. 22 March 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2006.
- ^ Bradford Bulls Official Website
- ^ Irvine, Christopher (10 January 2008). "Lesley Vainikolo in league of his own for both brain and brawn". The Times. London. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ "Vainikolo to miss British matches". BBC Sport. 20 October 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ "Vainikolo hopeful of avoiding knee surgery". Telegraph & Argus. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ "Rugby League: Knee Forces Lesley Out". The Guardian. 3 March 2006. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ "Gloucester winger Lesley Vainikolo joins La Rochelle". BBC Sport. 5 January 2012..
- ^ "Lesley Vainikolo departure from La Rochelle". The Rugby Forum.
- ^ "Lesley Vainikolo profile" (in French). Raca 17.
- ^ "Bulls pair lead Tonga's hopes". bbc.co.uk. 25 July 2002. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ "England to Fast Track Vainikolo". BBC Sport. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
- ^ "Vainikolo tipped as England star". BBC Sport. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
- ^ "Vainikolo called into starting side". Fox Sports. 6 February 2008. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
- ^ England Rugby's 'Volcano' Charged Archived 7 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Lesley Vainikolo charged with grievous bodily harm after Bath street brawl". London: Times Online. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
- ^ "Match Fit Season 2 Ep 6 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ "Match Fit Season 3 Ep 1 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ "Match Fit Season 3 Ep 2 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Match Fit Season 3 Ep 5 | SPORT | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
External links
- Baa-Baas win in Brussels
- BBC Gloucestershire feature on Vainikolo signing
- Lesley Vainikolo Official Player Profile
- Vainikolo quits league for union
- Vainikolo speaks of Gloucester Rugby switch joy
- Gloucester Rugby profile
- Sportinglife profile
- England new boys – Lesley Vainikolo
- Volcano to erupt
- Team Of The Century
- Rugby Athletic Club Amerien profile